Sumitomo Precision Products jumped 5 percent after the Nikkei newspaper reported that the company aims to boost sales of the shale gas business by 60 percent in three years.

Iraq won't be another Vietnam: Expert

Tom Henriksen, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute, explains why the U.S. dispatch of military advisers to Iraq won't lead to any more intervention

China shares higher

Mainland shares reversed losses in the final hour of trade to end 0.1 percent higher, snapping a three-day losing streak. Earlier, shares fell on fears of tight liquidity after four initial public offerings raised $290 million following Beijing's four month hiatus on offerings. The mood was also cautious ahead of HSBC's preliminary manufacturing data for June, due Monday.